Gossip mill: Squid Game villain Heo Sung-tae suffering repercussions from 17kg weight gain for hit Netflix series — and other entertainment news this week

Squid Game villain Heo Sung-tae suffering repercussions from 17kg weight gain for hit Netflix series

South Korean actor Heo Sung-tae, who plays the villain in the hit Netflix series Squid Game, has revealed that the role impacted his health.

Sung-tae told allkpop that he had to gain weight in order to play the role of Jang Deok-soo but it was done rapidly.

"The projects I had planned were all postponed due to Covid-19. I lost weight while taking a break for five months but then I was contacted by the production team of Squid Game," Sung-tae said.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk was concerned about his sudden weight loss, given that the physique of Deok-soo was "vital to the character".

"I gained 15 to 17kg in one month. I think this is the first time I gained so much weight in such a short period of time," Sung-tae added.

After filming, the actor was able to lose 10kg but he felt that it mattered little as his overall health had already deteriorated due to the accelerated weight gain earlier.

How Hong Kong artiste Max Mok helped Guo Liang get over his stage fright

In the latest episode of the meWATCH talk show Hear U Out, Guo Liang revealed to local TV host Quan Yi Fong that when he started off hosting, he "suffered stage fright and had to overcome it from the outset".

The 52-year-old actor added: "I received the most training with [former TV host] Alice Huang as my co-host."

For the most part, he would play second fiddle to her but one day, Alice was unavailable to host the finals of a sponsored beauty pageant, and it was just down to Guo Liang. 

This happened in 1995, where he had barely a year of experience. On top of that, Hong Kong actor Max Mok was the overseas VIP.

Imagine the nerves, yikes.

However, during the pageant, Guo Liang noticed Max's lips were trembling and seeing that helped alleviate the stress on Guo Liang's part. 

"Seeing his nervousness, I suddenly lost my inhibitions," Guo Liang said.

Netizens think Blackpink's Jisoo and Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min are dating

[UPDATE: Oct 11]

Jisoo's agency YG Entertainment issued a statement on Oct 10 that all of Jisoo's dating rumours are untrue.

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England has David and Victoria Beckham, while Spain and Colombia have Gerard Pique and Shakira.

Perhaps South Korea might have Jisoo from Blackpink and Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min next?

This isn't the first time that rumours have been brewing of a possible romance between the two. In September 2019, Jisoo was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London cheering on Tottenham in their match against Crystal Palace.

Heung-min scored two goals that day so Jisoo might just be the lucky charm, who knows?

More recently, allkpop reported that Heung-min landed in Incheon on Oct 5 for a football match but instead of flying in from London, he arrived from Paris.

Jisoo also arrived in Korea on the same day after her duties at Paris Fashion Week.

Of course, it could all be a coincidence but we'll let you decide on that.

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amierul@asiaone.com